332 
SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
“You do not want a big fire to cook over. Many 
and many a time I have watched old and experienced 
woodsmen spoil their grub, and their tempers, too, by 
trying to cook in front of a roaring winter campfire, 
and have marveled at their lack of common sense. Off 
to one side of such a fire, lay your bed logs as above; 
then shovel from the campfire enough hard coal to fill 
the space between the logs within three inches of the 
top. You now have a steady, even heat from end to 
end; it can easily be regulated; there is level support 
for every vessel; and you can wield a short-handled 
frying pan over such an outdoor range without scorch- 
ing either the meat or yourself. 
“Fire for Baking — For baking in a reflector, or roast- 
ing a joint, a high fire is best, with a backing to throw 
the heat forward. Sticks three feet long can be leaned 
against a big log or a sheer- faced rock, and the kindlings 
started under them. 
“Often a good bed of coals is wanted. The camp- 
fire generally supplies these, but sometimes they are 
needed in a hurry, soon after camp is pitched. To get 
them, take sound hardwood , either green or dead, and 
split it into sticks of uniform thickness (say, 1^4-inch 
face). Lay down two bed-sticks, cross these near the 
end with two others, and so on up until you have a pen 
a foot high. Start a fire in this pen. Then cover it 
with a layer of parallel sticks laid an inch apart. Cross 
this with a similar layer at right angles, and so upward 
for another foot. The free draught will make a roar- 
ing fire, and all will burn down to coals together. 
“The thick bark of hemlock, and the hard woods gen- 
erally, will soon yield coals for ordinary cooking. 
“To keep coals a long time, cover them with ashes, 
or with bark which will soon burn to ashes. In wet 
weather a bed of coals can be shielded by slanting broad 
